I can't believe they are dead. Death and mourning in the absence of goodbyes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

The circumstances surrounding the deaths during the COVID‐19 pandemic and the subsequent mourning process transpired in completely atypical conditions. This study analyses the experience of losing a loved one without traditional, culture‐specific rituals for saying goodbye, explores the different factors affecting the onset of mourning by family members and studies the existence of complicating risk factors associated with grief from this distinct type of loss. A qualitative, phenomenological and interpretive research study was undertaken through in‐depth interviews of 48 informants, key and general, in the autonomous Community of Madrid. The interviews were conducted between July and November of 2020 and were followed by an interpretive categorical qualitative analysis. The principal results include (a) the finding that deaths caused by the pandemic are, due to their characteristics, a complicating factor for bereavement, (b) evidence that the professionals who supported these deaths with a holistic approach, facilitating the process for the family members, have been a determining factor in enabling the beginning of the mourning process and reducing anguish for the family members and (c) the conclusion that a need exists for a resignification of the funeral rite. Finally, before future crises, it is recommended that access protocols be developed for relatives, including methods that permit them to say goodbye to their loved ones, no matter the situation.